Midday Roundup: Millions of chickens killed to stop bird flu outbreak

Killer virus. After an outbreak of bird flu at several poultry farms in Iowa, federal authorities have ordered 5.3 million hens euthanized to prevent the disease from spreading. The latest farm hit by the outbreak is a family-owned, commercial egg-laying facility. More than 8 million birds have been euthanized so far in Osceola County, Iowa. Officials believe migratory birds flying over the area are spreading the disease, which can kill an entire flock of birds in 48 hours but isn’t harmful to humans. So far, the turkey industry has been hit the hardest. Analysts don’t expect the deaths to have an effect on the food supply, or on prices, at least not yet.

Light sentence? An Egyptian court has sentenced ousted President Mohamed Morsi to 20 years in prison for decisions that led to the deaths of protesters in 2012. Morsi, who led the Muslim Brotherhood, came to power in 2011 in the country’s first free elections. But less than a year later, millions took to the streets to protest the Islamist constitution Morsi proposed. Clashes between Muslim Brotherhood supporters and opponents outside the presidential palace turned violent, and 10 people died. The military quickly took control of the country. During subsequent elections, Egyptians put Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the army commander who ousted Morsi, in charge of the country. Since then, the government has cracked down on the Muslim Brotherhood, with the judiciary handing down death sentences in several trials against party members. Analysts believe Morsi escaped execution because of international interest in his trial.

Long-awaited resignation. Kansas City Bishop Robert Finn resigned today, three years after a U.S. court convicted him of not telling police about images of child pornography that a computer technician found on a priest’s laptop. Victimsadvocacy groups had long lobbied for Finn’s dismissal. The Vatican made the announcement in its daily briefing, but has not yet offered any other comment on the case. Finn will remain a bishop in the Church but will not head another diocese. Kansas City, Kan., Archbishop Joseph Naumann, who will oversee the diocese until a new bishop is appointed, said he hoped the move would usher in “a time of grace and healing.”

Arrested. Italian officials have arrested the captain and first mate of the fishing boat that capsized in the Mediterranean Sea on Sunday, killing hundreds of mostly African and Bangladeshi migrants. European Union leaders convened an emergency meeting Monday to discuss the situation, and the United Nations said the sinking was the worst disaster ever on the Mediterranean. The fishing boat crew packed as many as 900 people in their three-deck vessel, locking many of them in the holds. Only 28 survivors made it to shore. Prosecutors plan to charge captain Mohammed Ali Malek, 27, and first mate Mahmud Bikhit, 25, with murder, human trafficking, and causing a shipwreck.

Held to account. German prosecutors began on Monday presenting their case against 93-year-old Oskar Groening, known as the “accountant of Auschwitz.” Groening has for years been open about his role at the Nazi death camp, refuting claims the Holocaust never happened. “You need to believe me when I say these horrors happened,” he told a German television station. “I was there.” Although Groening claims he did not participate in any killings, German courts set a precedent in 2011 for prosecuting people who were part of the Nazi machine, even if they had no direct connection to the gas chambers. One of the people who will testify against Groening is Hedy Bohm, who was 16 in 1944. Her parents died at Auschwitz. “I was reluctant to come here, but I believe it’s very important, not for me and Groening, but for the future generation, for the young people—and that it will influence, in the future, those who may want to be part of a killing machine as he was and know that they will be held responsible,” she told NPR.

Recall. Texas-based Blue Bell Ice Cream has recalled all of its products after more samples tested positive for listeria, a potentially deadly bacteria. The recall began last month with just a few products. It was the first in the company’s 108-year history. Three people in Kansas died a month after eating tainted Blue Bell products. Company officials say they do not know how listeria was introduced to their plants. “We’re committed to doing the 100-percent right thing, and the best way to do that is to take all of our products off the market until we can be confident that they are safe,” Paul Kruse, Blue Bell CEO and president, said in a statement.